Trussed trolley-board for electric cars



(No Model.)

' H. COOHRAN.

TRUSSED TROLLEY BOARD FOR ELECTRIC CARS. No. 499,871.

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"UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY COOHRAN, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRUSSED'TROLLEY-BOARD FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,871, dated June 20, 1893.

Application filed January 16 1893.- Serial No. 453u (N0 fi l- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, HENRY COCHRAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chester, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful 'lrussed Trolley-Board for Electric Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in trolley-boards or bridges for electric cars of that class employed in overhead-trolley systems; and the objects in view are to so support the board bymeans of a truss-rod so as to avoid the whole weight of the same being thrown upon the roof of the car and thus straining the same; to prevent any excessive vibration of the bridge upon the roof to the detriment of the latter; and to absorb all vibrations of the trolley and its arm during travel of the car.

With these several objects in view, the invention consists in certain features of constructiomof a trussed trolley board or bridge. hereinafter specified and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car provided with a trussed trolley board or bridge, constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the car. Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a plan of the trolley-board when made double. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the trolley-board, the same being what is termed single. Fig. 6 is a detail, in perspective, of two of the end castings or standards for supporting the board.

Like numerals of reference indicate like I parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The standards 1, for supporting the trolleyboard, as shown, are provided with lower flanged bases 2, having elongated bolt-receiving openings 3, and from said bases rise the vertical portions or webs of the standards which terminate at their upper ends, or have formed therein, oblong sockets 5, in the centers of which perforations 6 are formed. The bases of the standards are curved, and as they are used in pairs, they are curved in reverse directions, so that they may fit the upper curved surfaces of the bulk-heads or tran-- soms of the cars.

shown, so that they form the truss. "ing or bowing of the board or bridge is the Into the sockets 5 are inserted the ends of the trolley boards or bridges 7, they being preferably employed in pairs, and these trolley-boards are connected'at each side of their centers by cross-strips 8. Rubber plugs or posts 9 are located under the centers of the boards, and the said boards have their endportions provided with diagonal grooves or perforations 10. Truss-rods llare passed through the grooves lO'at each end of each of the boardsand have theirextremities threaded and passed throughthe perforations 6 of the standards, in which the ends of their respectiveboards are situated. The plugs orposts 9 are strung on the rods. Upon the ends of these rods, nuts 12 are threaded, and after the parts are in position, by running the nuts down upon the rods the boards are bowed, as

The archsalient feature of this invention. This completes the construction of the trolley-board,

:and I will refer to so much of the construction of the car proper as is necessary to operate in connection therewith. I

The roof 13 of the car is provided with the usual transom 14, or What; might be termed a bulk-head, and located under the end-eaves of said transom is the usual curved timber, above which, upon the roof, are located the standards 1, and to which, by means of the bolts 16 passed through the openings 3 in said standards, the latter are secured. Non-conducting mats 18 may be interposed between the bases of the standards and the roof of the transom for the purpose of insulation. The soft rubber posts 9 rest upon the roof of the car and absorb the vibrations of the trolleyboards, as caused by the trolley running in contact with the overhead wire, so that the vibrations are not transmitted by said trolley-board to the roof of the car. Furthermore, the greater part of the weight of the trolley-board, and its fixtures or supports, is not transmitted directly to the roof, but to the timbers 15 at the ends of the transom, so that, as a whole, the roof is relieved of that excessive and constant strain, as well as vibrations, all of which it is now subjected to, and thus it remains unimpaired and its durability greatly increased.

having its ends terminating against the grooved adjacentthereto, anda truss'rod passed through the grooves of the} beardaandf}: the perforations of thesoeketsandprovided As shown in Fig.5 of the drawings, instead of employing two tro1ley-boards,.I may employ a single board 17, though I prefer, as before stated, the use of the two boards.

Changes in the. form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may he resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. In a trolley-bridge for. electric cars the combination of an arched resilient board fwith a= transom and" having the timbers .15 un;

with a truss-rod connecting the opposite ends of said board and supporting devices, separate from thetruss: rod, at the endsi of the beard, substantially asspecifiedi 22 The-combination with theroofof acan, ofi an arched hoardv located thereen, supports for the ends of the board, a trussarodcon:- nectihgthe ends of the board, and; an elastic cushioning device interposed" between the roofi" of the car and the center-of said'archedi connectingth supports and sustaining the; board or hoa s inan; arched position solely' by the-tensionof the=rod and means for ad-- justing thetensibn ofi said rod, aslsetforth.

4. l he combination. with a pair-of stands ards having perforations, of atroiley-board standards, and a truss-rod. connecting saidstandards and provided with nuts, substan;- tially as specified.

5. In. a trolley-board', thacom'bination'with: E

awpair of. standards provided with sockets having, perforations, of a trolley-board hav ing its ends receivedin the: sockets and beyond the same with nuts, substantially as specified.

6. In a trolley-board, the combination with opposite end-standards, having'soekets formed with perforations, of a bowed truss-board having its; ends received in; the sockets and "provided with grooves, a truss-rod passed through the grooves and perforations in the gsockets andi provitledwith nuts,v and an elastic post located under and supporting the *center of the bowed iboard, substantially as specifi ed.

7. The combination. with a car provided der the eaves thereof, of the standards situated above the timtiersa and bolted thereto and to the roof, and provided withsockets transom; and the --non conductin g mats interreceived in the sockets and secured together Enutse th erefor, substantially as V specified.

havingperforations; thehowed board received in the sockets, thetrussred passedthrough the sockets and? perforations and provided 8: The-combination! with the opposite pairs vi'dedi with curved bases, the car having the posed-between. tlie'liasesoii"the?standards'and 1 the roof ofithe car, of" the bowed? truss-hoards:

between their ends, the" soft rubber post or plug interposed betweenthe roofioftl'te'car-aud g the bowed boards, the rods. passing through the perforatiousoftlieoppositestandards, and 80 In testimony thatsl claim the foregoing as terposedhetween theaforesaid board, at the 1 my own I have hereto aflixedimysignaturerin thepresenoe' of two witnesses. I HENRY C(DGHRAN.

Witnesses:

HARRY R. CREssMam. O. E; QANFIEED: 

